How to Use the Concrete Pad Footing Calculator AS 3600:2018

The Concrete Pad Footing Calculator is a tool designed to simplify the design and analysis of concrete pad footings. It ensures compliance with Australian Standard AS 3600:2018 and provides precise calculations for stability, moments, shears, punching shear, and bearing capacity. This guide explains the features, input requirements, and results generated by the calculator.

Understanding the Key Concepts of Pad Footing Design

Concrete pad footings are essential structural elements that transfer loads from columns to the underlying soil. Designing these footings involves balancing forces, moments, and soil interactions to maintain stability. The calculator addresses these through a unified framework, focusing on three main principles:

Load Transfer and Stability: Ensuring the soil can support the applied loads without bearing failure.
Stress Distribution: Accounting for the effects of eccentricity and applied moments on the soil-footing interface.
Structural Strength: Verifying the footing's resistance to bending, shear, and punching forces.
Footing without Eccentricity vs. Geometric Eccentricity vs. Moment Eccentricity:

A footing without eccentricity occurs when the column or load is perfectly aligned with the geometric center of the footing, and no external moments are applied.

The load is evenly distributed across the footing's base, resulting in a uniform stress distribution on the soil below.
Both the geometric and moment eccentricities are zero, ensuring the footing remains in full contact with the soil across its entire surface.
The design process is simplified, as there are no additional moments or stress concentration zones to account for.

This scenario represents the ideal case in footing design, ensuring maximum soil engagement and even load transfer without additional structural or geotechnical challenges.

Geometric eccentricity refers to the physical offset of the column or load from the geometric center of the footing. It is a structural condition where the column is intentionally or unintentionally positioned off-center.

Design Considerations:

Geometric eccentricity is introduced as an offset input in design calculations.
It adjusts the location of the load relative to the center of the footing, influencing moment and shear calculations.

Moment eccentricity occurs when an external moment (bending force) is applied to a footing, causing the load to act as if it is offset from the centroid of the footing. Leads to uneven stress distribution on the soil underneath the footing. One side of the footing experiences higher compressive stress.

Design Considerations:

Moment eccentricity is accounted for using the formula:

This "effective eccentricity" is then used to adjust the stress distribution and calculate the effective bearing area of the footing.

Introduction to the Tool

The calculator simplifies the complex process of designing pad footings subjected to axial loads, moments, and eccentricity. By combining geotechnical and structural checks, it ensures stability and compliance for various loading scenarios, whether for centered or eccentric columns.

Eccentric Loading: The Central Challenge

One of the most critical aspects of footing design is handling eccentric loads, when the column or applied load does not act through the center of the footing. Eccentricity creates uneven stress distributions, leading to higher stresses on one side of the footing. This can reduce soil contact and increase risks of overturning or bearing failure.

The calculator evaluates eccentricity:

Effective Eccentricity (e) is calculated using the applied moment and column offsets.
Stress Distribution and Bearing Length (Le) adjust dynamically to account for reduced soil contact

For example, when a column is offset along the X-axis, the calculator dynamically adjusts the effective bearing length along the footing's length, accurately predicting stress redistribution.

The calculator is structured into two main sections:

Key Properties: Where the footing and column geometry, material properties, and load data are input.
Summary Outputs: Displays calculated capacities, demands, and a stability assessment

1. Key Properties

This section is where all necessary design inputs are entered. Each property influences the footing's structural behavior and the calculator’s results. Below are the main categories and their descriptions:

Footing Geometry

X and Y Dimensions: The width and length of the rectangular footing. These dimensions must be greater than the column dimensions to provide adequate stability.
Thickness (D): The depth of the footing, critical for shear and moment capacity.
Column Dimensions (Xc, Yc): The width and length of the column supported by the footing.
Column Offsets (X Offset, Y Offset): Specify eccentricity if the column is not centered, allowing for adjustments based on the direction of the applied moment.

Material and Soil Properties

Concrete Strength and Type: Select the characteristic compressive strength (e.g., 32 MPa normal-weight concrete). It impacts the footing's resistance to bending and shear.
Unit Weight of Soil (γₛ): Defines the density of the soil surrounding the footing.
Allowable Bearing Capacity (qₐ): The maximum pressure the soil can support without failure.

Reinforcement in Pad Footing

X-Axis Reinforcement: Select the type of steel reinforcement bars (e.g., N16, N20) for resisting bending along the X-axis.
Y-Axis Reinforcement: Choose the type of steel reinforcement bars for resisting bending along the Y-axis.
Number of Bars (nx, ny): Specify the number of bars required for each axis.
Concrete Cover (cb): Input the distance between the outer surface of the concrete and the nearest reinforcement. This ensures adequate protection against corrosion and complies with durability requirements.

Applied Loads

Direction of Applied Moment: Specify if the moment acts about the X-axis or Y-axis.

Axial & Moment Loads:

Dead Load (G): Permanent forces, such as the self-weight of the structure, transferred to the footing.
Live Load (Q): Transient or variable forces, such as occupancy or equipment loads.
Moment Loads (M): Enter moments caused by eccentricity or lateral forces, which can lead to overturning or additional stresses on the footing.

Stress Distribution and Load Demands

Effective Eccentricity (e): Determines the offset of the resultant load (Pult) from the center of the footing due to moments (Mult) or load eccentricity.

Effective Bearing Length (Le): Defines the portion of the footing length that remains in contact with the soil when eccentricity is present.

Ensures proper stress transfer to the soil by reducing the effective bearing length in cases of high eccentricity.

Length of Footing Cantilever (Lc): Represents the distance from the face of the column to the closest edge of the footing along a specified axis.

Maximum Compressive Stress (qult,max): Occurs at the point on the footing with the highest load concentration, typically at the edge farthest from the resultant force under eccentric loading.

Considering these conditions:

1st: This condition means that part of the footing has no contact with the soil, resulting in zero stress at the edge.

2nd: The eccentricity causes partial lifting of the footing, stress distribution becomes uneven, with higher stresses on one side and reduced contact on the other.

3rd: Footing remains fully engaged with the soil, and stresses are more evenly distributed. Stress is amplified due to the additional moment from eccentricity.

Minimum Compressive Stress (qult,min): Is the smallest stress at any point along the footing. This stress can approach zero under eccentric loading and indicates the potential for partial soil disengagement.

1st: This condition means that part of the footing has no contact with the soil, resulting in zero stress at the edge.

2nd: The stress at the least compressed edge is reduced due to eccentricity.

Slope of Compressive Stress (q’ult): Quantifies how rapidly stress changes along the effective bearing length (Le) of the footing.

Maximum Compressive Stress at the Face of Column (qult,face): Refers to the highest compressive stress value calculated at the contact surface between the column and the footing.

1st: If there is an offset in the column placement, the compressive stress at the column face is the maximum stress between the two faces of the column (uneven stress distribution).

2nd: If the effective bearing length is smaller than the cantilever length, there is no compressive stress at the column face.

3rd: When the effective bearing length (Le) is greater than or equal to the cantilever length (Lc), the footing maintains adequate soil contact to support the column load. The compressive stress at the column face is influenced by the minimum compressive stress (qult,min), the stress slope (q’ult), and the distance (Le−Lc), which collectively account for the effects of load distribution and eccentricity.

Maximum compressive stress at both faces of the column(q,ult,face1, q,ult,face2): Are the compressive stresses at the two opposite faces of the column (e.g., left/right or bottom/top).The stress at these faces depends on the eccentricity and load distribution.

Effective Shear Depth to Footing Length (dv,L) and Effective Shear Depth to Footing Breadth (dv,B): Moment direction determines whether the shear depth is taken.

(dv,L) refers to the depth of the footing that actively resists shear forces parallel to its length (X-axis).
(dv,B) refers to the depth of the footing that resists shear forces parallel to its breadth (Y-axis).

Maximum Compressive Stress at the Critical Shear Plane (qult,shear): Is the highest compressive stress acting at a specific distance from the column face, typically at the critical section where shear forces are evaluated.

1st: If the column is eccentrically placed, the stress at the critical shear plane depends on the maximum stress between the two critical shear planes

2nd: If the effective bearing length is less than the distance from the column face to the critical shear plane (Lc−dv,L), the stress at the critical shear plane is zero. This occurs when significant eccentricity causes the footing to lose contact with the soil near the critical shear plane.

3rd: This condition applies when the effective bearing length (Le) is sufficient to cover the distance from the critical shear plane back to the edge of the effective bearing area (Lc−dv,L). In this scenario, the footing remains in stable contact with the soil, allowing for proper stress transfer.

Maximum Moment Demand Due to Loads Parallel to Footing Length (ML*) and Breadth (MB*):

(ML*): The highest bending moment experienced by the footing along its length (X-axis) due to applied loads and stress distribution.
(MB*): The highest bending moment experienced by the footing along its breadth (Y-axis), due to applied loads and stress distribution.

Maximum Shear Demand Due to Loads Parallel to Footing Length (VL*) and Breadth (VB*):

(VL*): The highest shear force acting along the footing’s length (X-axis) due to applied loads and stress distribution.
(VB*): The highest shear force acting along the footing’s breadth (Y-axis).

The conditions for Maximum Moment Demand and Maximum Shear Demand along the footing's length (VL*,ML*) and breadth (VB*,MB*) depend on the load distribution, column placement, and footing geometry.

For moment demand, when the column is off-center, the larger moment from the uneven stress distribution is used. If Le<Lc, the moment is based on the compressive stress over the effective bearing length, with adjustments for self-weight and soil weight.

Otherwise, the moment combines the stress at the column face with stress redistribution across the cantilever. These conditions ensure accurate evaluation of stresses and forces for safe and efficient footing design.

For shear demand, if the column is off-center, the greater shear demand from the two sides of the column is considered. When the effective bearing length (Le) is insufficient to cover the critical shear plane, shear demand is calculated using the maximum compressive stress (qult,max), adjusted for self-weight and soil weight effects.

If Le sufficient, the shear demand includes stress redistribution from minimum compressive stress (qult,min) to the critical shear plane.

2. Summary

The Summary section consolidates all the critical design parameters and results generated by the calculator. It provides engineers with a quick and actionable overview of the footing's performance against various structural and geotechnical criteria. These results ensure compliance with AS 3600:2018 and help verify the adequacy of the design.

Moment Demand and Capacity:
- Moment Demand about X-axis (Mx): This represents the design moment acting about the X-axis, calculated at the critical section of the footing based on the applied loads, eccentricities, and moments.
- Moment Demand about Y-axis (My): This is the corresponding design moment about the Y-axis, similarly derived from the loads and eccentricities along this axis.
- Moment Capacity about X-axis (ϕMu,x): This is the maximum moment strength the footing can resist about the X-axis, determined based on reinforcement and concrete strength.
- Moment Capacity about Y-axis (ϕMu,y): The moment capacity about the Y-axis, similarly derived. Any instance where demand exceeds capacity is flagged by the calculator.
Shear Demand and Capacity:
- Shear Demand about X-axis (Vx): The highest shear force acting along the X-axis of the footing, typically at a critical section near the column.
- Shear Demand about Y-axis (Vy): The highest shear force acting along the Y-axis.
- Shear Capacity about X-axis (ϕVu,x): This is the maximum shear strength the footing can resist along the X-axis.
- Shear Capacity about Y-axis (ϕVu,y): The corresponding shear strength along the Y-axis. If demand exceeds capacity for either axis, it is flagged for review.
Punching Shear:
- Punching Shear Demand (V): This is the vertical force acting around the column interface, evaluated along the critical punching shear perimeter. It accounts for load concentrations that could lead to failure.
- Punching Shear Capacity (ϕVu): This represents the footing's ability to resist punching shear, based on its thickness, reinforcement, and material properties. Exceeding this capacity triggers a redesign.
Stability Check:
- Limited Stability Check: This output determines whether the footing remains in total compression under service loads. The stability status can be:
  - Stable: The footing remains fully compressed under working loads, ensuring no loss of soil contact.
  - Partial Compression: Part of the footing disengages from the soil, increasing the risk of overturning or rotation.
  - Unstable: The footing becomes unstable, signaling a significant design failure.
Bearing Stress and Capacity:
- Maximum Bearing Stress (qmax): This is the maximum compressive stress experienced at the footing edge due to the applied loads.
- Bearing Capacity of Footing Soil (qb): The maximum pressure the soil can sustain safely. If qmax exceeds qb, the calculator highlights this as a failure.
Graphical Load Case Visualization:
- The load case visualization provides a clear graphical representation of the applied loads, moments, and reactions. Each load case evaluates a different aspect of the footing's performance:

Strength Load Cases ensure the footing remains safe under extreme conditions.
Serviceability Load Cases verify that the footing performs well during normal operation, with minimal settlement or cracking.
Geotechnical Load Cases confirm that the soil can safely support the applied loads without excessive deformation or failure.